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After talking to yourself (about the answers to your question), you
may want to make a brief summary in the margin of the book next to
where the information is located. Later, you can quickly review the
book by looking at these key words in the margin, and if you discover
you have forgotten some points, you can re-read the pertinent
paragraphs again and refresh your memory.
Recalling the author's answers to your basic questions is the
essence of active learning. Don't just copy the author's words into your
notebook. The knowledge becomes yours as you recall it and repeat it
to yourself. Fantasize telling someone about what you have read or
imagine teaching someone about this material. Attending and
remembering are not easy; you can't just casually read through a
book, forgetting the material about as fast as your eyes skim over it.
However, if you work hard on this method, you will not only become
an excellent reader but a more knowledgeable person and a clearer
thinker.
After reciting what you have read, go to the next section and
repeat the same process: QUESTION, READ and RECITE until you are
finished.
STEP FIVE: Review what you have learned.
As research has demonstrated well, we forget much less if we
review the material periodically. Ideally, we would review a chapter
right after reading it, then 2 or 3 days later and again a week or two
after that. This reading method divides a chapter into many parts. A
review of the whole chapter helps you integrate the parts and get an
overall perspective.
Try a little review right now of the last several paragraphs. Do you
remember the name of this method? What are the steps in this
method? What steps are repeated over and over as you read a
chapter? Why is talking to yourself important?
STEP SIX: Use your knowledge; preparing for a test.
The best way to keep knowledge is to use it, to give it away.
Knowledge is of value only if it is used. Reward yourself for learning
and for sharing your information with others who are interested.
A common way for students to use information is to perform well
on a test. There are several other techniques, besides SQRRR, for
improving your memory for tests. Here are a few:
Take lecture notes. You need to be able to refresh your memory. It
is best if you re-write these notes shortly after class, putting the ideas
in outline form and filling in or clarifying the information that you
couldn't write down during class. The outline form is designed to put
facts in meaningful clusters, that makes it easier to remember. Then,
